# Emma (2020 film)

Emma (stylized as Emma.) is a 2020 period romantic comedy film directed by Autumn de Wilde, from a screenplay by Eleanor Catton, based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel of the same name. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Miss Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy and elegant young woman living with her father in Regency-era England who amuses herself with matchmaking and meddles in the romantic lives of those closest to her. The film also stars Johnny Flynn, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, and Bill Nighy.
Produced by Perfect World Pictures, Working Title Films and Blueprint Pictures, a film adaptation of Austen's novel by Focus Features began development in October 2018 when Taylor-Joy was cast in the title role, with de Wilde attached as the director. The remainder of the supporting roles were cast by March 2019. Principal photography took place between March and June 2019 across England.
Emma was released in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2020, and in the United States on 21 February 2020 by Universal Pictures. It received generally favourable reviews, with the performances and production design singled out for praise. It grossed $27 million worldwide against its budget of $10 million. The film received two Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 93rd Academy Awards, as well as a Best Costume Design nomination at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, three nominations at the 26th Critics' Choice Awards, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical nomination (for Taylor-Joy) at the 78th Golden Globe Awards.

## Plot

In Regency England, the wealthy and beautiful twenty-year-old Emma Woodhouse lives with her widowed father at his Hartfield estate in the Surrey village of Highbury. A frequent visitor to Hartfield is George Knightly, a close friend of the family and owner of nearby Donwell Abbey. George is the brother of John Knightly, the husband of Emma's sister Isabella who lives in London.
Emma prides herself on her matchmaking skills, and successfully arranges the marriage of her old governess, Miss Taylor, to Mr Weston. She befriends Harriet Smith, a naive young woman of uncertain parentage who boards at a local girls' school, and persuades her to decline a marriage proposal from a respectable farmer, Robert Martin, instead recommending the local vicar, Mr Elton. George Knightly privately expresses his disapproval, telling Emma that she is encouraging Harriet to aspire to a man who can never accept her.
On the way home from a dinner party, Emma finds herself alone in a carriage with Mr Elton. To her shock, he proposes marriage, leading to an awkward rejection. Only then does she learn that what she had mistaken for affection towards Harriet was merely Mr Elton's attempt to woo Emma herself. Mr Elton subsequently leaves the area, returning six weeks later with a new wife, the pretentious Augusta.
Two long-anticipated visitors arrive: Jane Fairfax, the highly accomplished niece of Miss Bates, a genteel but poor family friend who is notable for her incessant chatter; and the charming Frank Churchill who, always required to be at his wealthy aunt's beck and call, has had few opportunities to visit. Emma finds herself intrigued by Frank and is envious of Jane's talents.
Frank's arrival prompts the Westons to hold a ball, at which Mr Elton rudely snubs Harriet. She is rescued by George Knightley, who asks her to dance. Emma and Knightley also share a dance, awakening romantic feelings between them.
During a picnic at Box Hill, Frank urges the company to play a lighthearted game, and Emma, in a moment of thoughtless humour, insults Miss Bates, causing her great distress. Knightley privately reprimands Emma for her unkindness, prompting her to reflect on her behaviour. She apologises to Miss Bates, who forgives her. Harriet confides to Emma that she has again found love; she does not name the man, but Emma assumes she is referring to Frank Churchill.
The sudden death of Frank’s aunt leads to the revelation that Frank and Jane Fairfax have been secretly engaged, a match they had been concealing from her. Emma attempts to break the news gently to Harriet, only to be told that it is George Knightly not Frank whom Harriet loves. According to Harriet, her love is reciprocated.
Knightley happens upon Emma while she is out walking. He is determined now to declare his love for her, but Emma stops him, believing that he has come to confess his love for Harriet. So overcome is Emma when she realises what Knightly is saying that she develops a nosebleed. She joyfully accepts his hand.
Emma visits Mr Martin to make amends, offering him a portrait of Harriet she drew herself. Mr Martin renews his offer of marriage, and this time Harriet accepts. Harriet and Robert Martin marry, followed by Emma and George Knightley.

## Cast

* Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma Woodhouse
* Johnny Flynn as George Knightley
* Mia Goth as Harriet Smith
* Miranda Hart as Miss Bates
* Bill Nighy as Mr Woodhouse
* Josh O'Connor as the Reverend Mr Elton
* Callum Turner as Frank Churchill
* Amber Anderson as Jane Fairfax
* Rupert Graves as Mr Weston
* Gemma Whelan as Mrs Weston (formerly Miss Taylor)
* Tanya Reynolds as Mrs Augusta Elton
* Connor Swindells as Robert Martin
* Oliver Chris as John Knightley
* Chloe Pirrie as Isabella Knightley
* Angus Imrie as Bartholomew
* Nicholas Burns as Mr Cole
* Myra McFadyen as Mrs Bates

## Production
### Casting

In October 2018, Anya Taylor-Joy was cast in the lead role, and Autumn de Wilde was signed for her directorial debut. In December 2018, Johnny Flynn joined the cast.
In March 2019, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Miranda Hart, Rupert Graves, Gemma Whelan, Amber Anderson and Tanya Reynolds joined the cast, and Alexandra Byrne signed as costume designer.

### Filming

Principal photography began on 18 March 2019, was scheduled to conclude on 24 May, but eventually wrapped on 6 June 2019.
Firle Place in Sussex was used for the exterior of Emma's home. Other locations included Lower Slaughter (exteriors) in the Cotswolds standing in for the village of Highbury, Kingston Bagpuize House in Oxfordshire, Wilton House near Salisbury in Wiltshire, and Chavenage House at Beverston, Gloucestershire.

### Title

Director de Wilde decided the film's title should include a full stop (period) to signify its being a period piece.

### Music

In the film, Jane Fairfax (played by Amber Anderson) outshines Emma by performing the third movement from Mozart's Piano Sonata No 12 on the fortepiano. A trained pianist, Anderson had to relearn the piece to adapt her technique to the period instrument's shorter keys.
The credit sequence features Queen Bee, an original song by Johnny Flynn. Isobel Waller-Bridge asked Flynn to write a song for the film. He wrote Queen Bee to convey Knightley's perspective on Emma, and performed it in a style appropriate for the film's period.
The soundtrack features many a cappella recordings of folk songs by such artists as Maddy Prior and the Watersons. De Wilde had an immediate conception of the film's music as rooted in folk music. She also wanted the orchestral score to emulate Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, where the characters had a theme personifying each one.
Anya Taylor-Joy, Anderson and Flynn all sing onscreen in the film. Taylor-Joy took pains to explain that her performance of The Last Rose of Summer used an affected style that she imagined Emma Woodhouse would use to charm her audience.
Anderson and Flynn sing a duet of Drink to me Only With Thine Eyes written by Ben Jonson in the film during a ball scene.
The adagio from the final movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor, Farewell, is also heard in the film.

## Release
### Theatrical

Emma was released in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2020, coinciding with Valentine's Day, and in the United States on 21 February.

### Home media

It was released digitally in March 2020 in the United States, Canada and the UK through Premium VOD on streaming platforms, due to movie theatre closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 19 May.

## Reception
### Box office

Emma grossed $10.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $17.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $27.4 million.
In North America, it made $230,000 from five theaters in its opening weekend, for a per-venue average of $46,000, the highest of 2020 at that point. It went wide two weeks later, grossing $5 million from 1,565 theaters and finishing sixth at the box office. Its time at the box office was then interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic closing theaters.
In Spain, it has grossed €228,000 ($285,000).

### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 257 reviews, with an average of 7.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Other adaptations may do a better job of consistently capturing the spirit of the classic source material, but Jane Austen fans should still find a solid match in this Emma." On Metacritic, the film was assigned a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, and PostTrak reported it received an average 3 out of 5 stars, with 44% of people they surveyed saying they would definitely recommend it.
In a mostly favorable review written for Variety, Andrew Barker referred to the film as a "an entirely worthy companion" to other adaptations of the novel, though noted it was "hardly a definitive take".

### Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | 25 April 2021 | Best Costume Design | Alexandra Byrne | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | 25 April 2021 | Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Marese Langan, Laura Allen & Claudia Stolze | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 11 April 2021 | Best Costume Design | Alexandra Byrne | Nominated | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | 13 December 2020 | Best New Filmmaker | Autumn de Wilde | Runner-up | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 21 December 2020 | Best Art Direction | Kave Quinn and Stella Fox | Nominated | [31] [32] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 21 December 2020 | Best Costume Design | Alexandra Byrne | Won | [31] [32] |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | 13 April 2021 | Excellence in Period Film | Alexandra Byrne | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Awards | 7 March 2021 | Best Costume Design | Alexandra Byrne | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Awards | 7 March 2021 | Best Production Design | Kave Quinn and Stella Fox | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Awards | 7 March 2021 | Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Emma | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | 28 February 2021 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Anya Taylor-Joy | Nominated | |
| Golden Trailer Awards | 22 July 2021 | Best Romance TV Spot | Gossip, Focus Features | Won | |
| Golden Trailer Awards | 22 July 2021 | Best Voice Over TV Spot | Delicious, Focus Features | Won | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Awards | 5 March 2021 | Best Costume Design | Alexandra Byrne | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Awards | 5 March 2021 | Best Production Design | Kave Quinn | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards | 2 July 2020 | Best Picture | Emma | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards | 2 July 2020 | Best Actress | Anya Taylor-Joy | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards | 2 July 2020 | Best Female Director | Autumn de Wilde | Runner-up | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards | 2 July 2020 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Eleanor Catton | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | 15 February 2021 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical | Anya Taylor-Joy | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | 15 February 2021 | Best Costume Design | Alexandra Byrne | Nominated | |
| Set Decorators Society of America Awards | 31 March 2021 | Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Period Feature Film | Stella Fox and Kave Quinn | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | 17 January 2021 | Best Comedy Film | Emma | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | 17 January 2021 | Best Production Design | Kave Quinn | Nominated | |